Patience...Impatience

The first quality of love mentioned in 1 Cor. 13:4 is "patience"...or, sometimes, long suffering

In Strongs, it is "to be long spirited, that is, (objectively) forbearing or (subjectively) patient: - bear (suffer) long, be longsuffering, have (long) patience, be patient, patiently endure."

In other words, briefly, not IMpatient.

The Lord is patient with me as, over the years, He has been steadfast in giving me opportunities to learn patience, to not be impatient (which, alas, He did point out to me is the equivalent of complaining - quiet murmuring).

He uses different ways of achieving His purpose (and how thankful I am that He is tireless, unyielding, determined to accomplish this, for He shall (!!!) conform me into the image of His Son...which I ardently desire). There is tribulation (all kinds of pressures, obstacles, interferences in my plans, and lots of "little" bumps in the road)which teaches patience ...and then.....there is time.

Yes, time. Today, everyone wants things to be done NOW, to move NOW, to be corrected NOW, to be ready NOW. God forbid that we do not have the fastest computer, quickest response on the telephone...and how about the fellow on the highway that "dawdles" (isn't going the speed, or greater), or doesn't move quickly enough after the light turns green.

And to see our impatience illuminated, all we need to do is to observe the check-out line at our favourite store (or any store). Yes, here indeed is a sampling of our hustled impatience - finding the shortest line; inwardly steaming when someone (gasp, choke) needs to have a price check or (even worse) wants to write a check!

Yes, we have come to a time when we now quantify almost the whole of life with...TIME.

Even in "Christian teaching" there is the idea of impatience, for are we not to "redeem the time"? Important to realize that this "redemption of time" has nothing to do with moving faster, getting more out of a day. It has to do with "the transference of earth's time-value into celestial (heavens) value by utilization of the Divine viewpoint; thus we redeem its worth for the present, and for the age to come."

My Father has dealt with all this in a very simple way - a reminder, forcefully made, if you will, that MY times are in HIS hands, NOT the other way around. HE rules in ALL things, and that includes my time - each second, each minute, each hour, each day...yes, every nano-second, to be exact.

And so...this reminder, ever present, has made a significant difference in how I view time...and thus enables me to become ever more patient, and therefore, much less impatient.

And knowing Father, there is more to come. How thankful I am for such insistent, amazing, unrelenting, incredible love...

Thank you, Lord.